Have you ever discovered that the beliefs of other people complement your own? That is what I found in this book.
Toni Bernhard was a flourishing individual who was cut down in mid-life by debilitating illness. She had to learn how to reinvent herself to accommodate her completely changed circumstances.
Her journey – and it was not a straight line – has profound implications for those of us who continue to have migraine despite all known interventions. It also has meaning for anyone who eventually realizes that they will not ‘get better’.
Although Toni’s path originates in a Buddhist framework, it can be explained in lay terms.
The first principle is that suffering or stress is a part of life for everyone, with no exceptions. You need to accept this essential truth before you can work on resolving your own suffering.
The other principles show the path to end suffering in the mind. The latter arises because of our desire for things we want (pleasant ones) or don’t want (unpleasant) – for example, for migraine sufferers these are things we could do before, but can no longer do.
To illustrate this point, a major source of angst for migraine sufferers is uncertainty. People crave certainty and predictability; they want to know what is coming next as much as possible. However, it’s often not possible for us to plan our lives – we make commitments or social plans, and then a migraine strikes without warning.
As long as you realize that you are not alone in your suffering, Toni offers several paths to relieve your mental suffering in the case of uncertainty. You can comfort yourself by comparing your pain to the weather – just as unpredictable, but also subject to eventual change for the better. And if you are feeling overwhelmed with thoughts about your future (“I’ll never get better”) she provides several ways to bring yourself back to the present, including treating yourself with loving kindness and compassion.
The introduction to How to be Sick includes these words:
“…the core challenge in my life, and, I believe, in all of our lives, from beginning to end, is accommodating to realities that we wish were other, and doing it with grace.”
As migraine sufferers, we feel that we have a unique and very difficult challenge. This book will give you valuable techniques to meet it with grace.
Toni Bernhard was a flourishing individual who was cut down in mid-life by debilitating illness. She had to learn how to reinvent herself to accommodate her completely changed circumstances.
Her journey – and it was not a straight line – has profound implications for those of us who continue to have migraine despite all known interventions. It also has meaning for anyone who eventually realizes that they will not ‘get better’.
Although Toni’s path originates in a Buddhist framework, it can be explained in lay terms.
The first principle is that suffering or stress is a part of life for everyone, with no exceptions. You need to accept this essential truth before you can work on resolving your own suffering.
The other principles show the path to end suffering in the mind. The latter arises because of our desire for things we want (pleasant ones) or don’t want (unpleasant) – for example, for migraine sufferers these are things we could do before, but can no longer do.
To illustrate this point, a major source of angst for migraine sufferers is uncertainty. People crave certainty and predictability; they want to know what is coming next as much as possible. However, it’s often not possible for us to plan our lives – we make commitments or social plans, and then a migraine strikes without warning.
As long as you realize that you are not alone in your suffering, Toni offers several paths to relieve your mental suffering in the case of uncertainty. You can comfort yourself by comparing your pain to the weather – just as unpredictable, but also subject to eventual change for the better. And if you are feeling overwhelmed with thoughts about your future (“I’ll never get better”) she provides several ways to bring yourself back to the present, including treating yourself with loving kindness and compassion.
The introduction to How to be Sick includes these words:
“…the core challenge in my life, and, I believe, in all of our lives, from beginning to end, is accommodating to realities that we wish were other, and doing it with grace.”
As migraine sufferers, we feel that we have a unique and very difficult challenge. This book will give you valuable techniques to meet it with grace.
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